He Hui

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Starring with Marco Berti, in November she will be at the Metropolitan in the Aida directed by Fabio Luisi. Born in the former imperial city of Xi’an, He Hui is one of the most popular soloists of the Chinese media and public: her New Year Concert in the Main Hall of the Parliament in Beijing in the presence of the President of the Republic and leading political and cultural figures of the capital, was a memorable event. This was just one of the many milestones achieved, starting with the standing ovation for Madame Butterfly in Hong Kong in 2006.

2012 coincides with a significant moment in her career, which began ten years ago and has been administered with rare wisdom, for the soprano has managed to defend herself from the myriad proposals that have inevitably been made to her. Prudently, she has preferred to say no to roles that would have catapulted her on to the international scene very quickly, but also at greater risk. “I consider myself lucky to have had almost 12 years of working in the ranks, because it is only with full maturity that one can begin to discern the artistic goal. The best school is experience in the field; one needs to learn and listen to the advice of directors and colleagues. I can never thank my teachers, Leyla Gencer and Raina Kabaivanska, enough”.

To prepare herself for a role, she admits (and this is rare in a singer) to listening to CDs or LPs, and “when someone says the opposite, I find this to be presumptuous. It would be daft not to profit from earlier recordings”. As to controlling her emotions on stage, she states: “Even today, I am unable to hold back my tears when I singTu, tu piccolo Iddio in the finale of Madame Butterfly; controlling my emotions is an uphill struggle for me, because I throw myself body and soul into the character I play”.